


Lunar Dust

by Fulcrumisthebomb



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, robots that sneeze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 15:44:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1232068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fulcrumisthebomb/pseuds/Fulcrumisthebomb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fulcrum gets pranked and falls into a 'sneezing fit'; Grimlock is overprotective, and the culprit may not be who they think it is...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lunar Dust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grimcognito](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimcognito/gifts).



> My first fanfic commission, for my epic gal Grimcognito!

Anytime something went wrong on the WAP- which was alarmingly frequent- Fulcrum had realised the rest of the crew had learned to automatically point a finger at Misfire. When he'd been new to the ship, Fulcrum had balked at the seemingly unfounded accusations; a few cycles onboard had cured him of that secondhand indignation. The fact was,  _anytime something went wrong on the ship_ , Misfire was to blame. The jet's hyperactivity wasn't necessarily Misfire's fault, but Fulcrum had been pranked too many times to keep his neutrality.

So when Fulcrum opened a spare parts drawer and immediately lost his vision in a cloud of dust, he reflexively screamed the jet's name as he toppled backward to the floor. From the adjacent room Fulcrum dimly heard the hurried thunder of footsteps as Grimlock charged around the corner and he waved feebly for attention. Large hands cradled his helm as his bondmate knelt beside him, rumbling worriedly.

"F-Fine," Fulcrum coughed, shuttering his leaking optics repeatedly to try to clear them. "Watch it, Grim, I don't want you to get any of.. of.." His voice trailed off as his frame seized, vents involuntarily creaking open and blasting a cycle of tainted air. It was only mildly uncomfortable, but Grimlock reacted as if Fulcrum had declared himself as good as offline.

"Bomb hurt?" Grimlock urged, frantically stroking Fulcrum's audials. His expression darkened as he leaned closer. "Stupid jet hurt Grimlock's bomb?!"

"I don't- don't know," Fulcrum admitted with a gasp, shuddering as his vents angrily expelled another dusty cloud. "I don't feel so good," he added with a whimper.

Grimlock looked positively furious as he scooped Fulcrum into his arms and stood, his large engines growling angrily. "Stupid jet gonna pay for-,"

With a sharp snap, Fulcrum cried out as his frame shook with another heavy ex-vent, noisily shifting to his alt mode. Grimlock hugged the smooth sides of the bomb tightly, hunching over him protectively.

" _Fulcrum?_ " 

The tech had never heard that soft waver in Grimlock's voice; Grimlock was always dominant, assertive.  _Completely_  in control of himself and his surroundings, but now he sounded almost...  _frightened_. As shocking as the spontaneous transformation had been, Fulcrum didn't feel any worse than before- except when he realised his vents were still operating on complete purge subroutines, desperately venting the particles from his systems every few seconds. The constant scrambled feedback prevented him from accessing his root mode.

Grimlock petted the rounded tip of the bomb, his tone even more uncertain than before. "Fulcrum need Spinister?" 

"M'okay," Fulcrum muttered, even as he wondered if he should make a quick stop by the medbay. "I don't- I can't stop venting, this dust must be _bad_. Grim, put me down, I don't want you contaminated-,"

"No!" The grip on Fulcrum tightened further, denting one finial on the tail end. "Grimlock protect Fulcrum. Grimlock take Fulcrum to big medic."

"Argh, Grimmy, I- I really don't need-," Fulcrum sighed as he felt himself swaying with Grimlock's steps; he still had trouble accepting Grimlock's guardian instincts. The giant Autobot had never taken advantage of Fulcrum's weaknesses though, and the tech had learned recently that Grimlock carried no ill will toward him when they had merged sparks. It was a humbling thought, really- but old habits died hard, and Fulcrum felt awful bothering the much taller, stronger mech.

As embarrassing as his condition was, at least Spinister either didn't have the time or sense of humour to make fun of Fulcrum. "Not seen this for a while," the surgeon remarked cheerfully as he carefully swabbed at Fulcrum's oscillating vents. "You're gonna be okay, just gotta calm down the reaction."

"How Grimlock do that?" the dinobot asked eagerly, bending to nuzzle Fulcrum's side. "Me Grimlock do anything for bomb."

Spinister shoved a damp rag at him, then grabbed another for himself. "Gotta clean him up real good, but the spasms are gonna take a bit to calm down."

"...How long is 'a bit'?" Fulcrum asked nervously.

Spinister shrugged. "Oh, a cycle or two."

"An entire _cycle!?_ " Fulcrum demanded, then stifled a hiccup when Grimlock spread his hand along a side and pressed his mask to the heated metal. "This is very inconvenient. And- And _embarrassing_."

"I bet," Spinister replied merrily. "Don't get into Crankcase's stuff; he salvages all the nasty slag. You should know that by now."

"Crankcase?" Fulcrum flipped back through recent memories; he  _had_  been messing around in the general corner Crankcase kept his findings. "But- But Misfire-?"

This time Spinister did laugh. "Misfire knows what lunar dust does to ventilation systems. He was parked in the cargo hold in flight mode for two cycles the last time he tried to steal Crankcase's high grade. He reacted really bad, like you."

"Stupid jet not hurt bomb?" Grimlock asked, blinking rapidly at the surgeon. "But stupid jet is _always_  being stupid."

Spinister shrugged again. "I know lunar dust when I feel it. Real smooth, with tiny sharp edges. I can test it if you want me to."

"No, no," Fulcrum replied miserably, shuddering through another violent ex-vent. "But I'm already real sick of this. All my transformation joints  _ache_. There's no way to speed this up?"

"Nope!"

"Great. I  _wasn't_  after Crankcase's stash, I was just... looking for a spanner..." Fulcrum grumbled, then paused when the medbay doors banged open. Although he couldn't see, he could  _feel_  Misfire's glee before the jet even spoke. Raucous laughter echoed around them, followed by Grimlock's roar of indignation and Misfire's terrified shriek as loud footsteps pounded in a circle around him.

"Don't worry," Spinister said over the yelling, giving Fulcrum a friendly pat, "I'm sure Grimlock will beat up anyone who laughs at you. Not the first time I've popped dents outta Misfire. Won't be the last."

Fulcrum just groaned.

**Author's Note:**

>  **End artwork by grimcognito!** Artwork and commission posted here with her permission~


End file.
